1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communication apparatus that supports a plurality of setting schemes for setting communication parameters and to a method of setting these communication parameters.
2. Description of the Related Art
The spread of wireless LANs compliant with the IEEE 802.11 standard has been accompanied by increasing demand for techniques that make it possible to set, in simple fashion, wireless parameters necessary for wireless LAN communication, such as a network identifier (SSID), encryption scheme, encryption key, authentication scheme and authentication key, which are troublesome for a user to set.
Conventionally, wireless LAN devices are equipped with techniques for setting wireless parameters developed independently by various companies. These techniques simplify the setting of the wireless parameters.
A technique for setting wireless parameters is for the purpose of communicating parameters, which are necessary for wireless LAN communication, between a terminal and a base station [e.g., see the specification of Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-215232 (U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2004-076300, 2005-201557)].
Further, there is a method of changing the wireless parameters of a base station in dependence upon an increase or decrease in number of terminals that participate in a network [e.g., see the specification of Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-311653 (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005-238172)].
Furthermore, standards for setting wireless parameters between devices in a simple manner are currently being planned.
It is predicted, therefore, that future wireless LAN devices will come equipped with both a setting scheme developed independently by the company (referred to as an “independent scheme” below) and a standard setting scheme (referred to as a “standard scheme” below)
Each of the above-mentioned setting schemes sets the wireless parameters of a wireless device connected to a base station based upon a respective setting algorithm. Assume that there is a base station that supports both the standard scheme and the independent scheme. If the wireless parameters set by a first setting scheme are changed to the wireless parameters of a second setting scheme in such case, there will be instances where the wireless device that was connected first becomes incapable of communicating.
Further, if the wireless parameters set by the first setting scheme are changed to the wireless parameters of the second setting scheme, then the set state of the wireless parameters at a base station managed by the first setting scheme will differ from the current set state. As a result, if a setting is made by the first setting scheme after the wireless parameters are changed, wireless parameters that differ from those of the current settings of the base station are set in the wireless device and the wireless device may become incapable of communicating.
Thus, a problem which arises is that in a case where a plurality of different wireless parameter setting schemes operate, a setting of optimum communication parameters cannot be made owing to independent operation of each setting scheme.